bond rating

As fiscal brinkmanship continues in Congress, state treasurer Nancy Kopp warned a Maryland Senate committee that a federal sequester and the resulting cuts to the state budget could result in a downgrade of Maryland’s triple-A credit rating from Moody’s Analytics, one of America’s three major credit rating agencies.

An S&P analyst has told Maryland officials the firm will take “no action” on the state’s current AAA bond rating given just last month, Treasurer Nancy Kopp announced; Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan Bongino is in Los Angeles this week filming a documentary about the Secret Service, where he spent 12 years, including service as head of the presidential protection detail.

The three national rating agencies have renewed their AAA rating for Maryland’s upcoming $718 million bond issue, but all three continue to be concerned about the state’s pension funding and dependence on federal government spending. These factors were outweighed by the state’s strong economy, its high income and sound fiscal management. The analysts acknowledged the improvements made by the pension changes made earlier this year.

If the dispute between the White House and Congress over lifting the U.S. debt ceiling is not resolved soon, the state may put off its scheduled bond sale for upwards of $500 million set for July 27, the state treasurer’s office told a legislative committee Tuesday. “If they don’t have the debt ceiling issue resolved, the markets will be chaotic, and we will probably postpone the sale,” said Patti Konrad, manager of state debt.